ON TUESDAY, 'THE BIGGEST LOSER' ADDS A HEFTY 68 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 58 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS FROM ITS FIRST HALF-HOUR TO ITS FOURTH, TO RANK #1 IN ITS FINAL HOUR IN ADULTS 18-49 AND OTHER KEY MEASURES

'LOSER' GAINS 28 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 25 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS VERSUS THE SAME NIGHT LAST YEAR, WHEN IT ALSO FACED 'AMERICAN IDOL'

A SPECIAL TUESDAY 'DATELINE' SCORES THE HIGHEST 18-49 RATING AND BIGGEST OVERALL VIEWERSHIP FOR ANY EDITION OF THE PROGRAM SINCE JUNE 2007

ON THURSDAY, '30 ROCK' JUMPS 23 PERCENT IN 18-49 AND 20 PERCENT IN TOTAL VIEWERS VERSUS THE PRIOR WEEK, TO DELIVER ITS BIGGEST OVERALL VIEWERSHIP SINCE ITS SECOND TELECAST OF THE SEASON

'MY NAME IS EARL, ' 'KATH & KIM ' AND 'THE OFFICE ' ALSO POST WEEK-TO-WEEK GAINS IN BOTH 18-49 AND TOTAL VIEWERS, WITH 'THE OFFICE ' ATTRACTING ITS BIGGEST VIEWERSHIP SINCE OCTOBER

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. � February 18, 2009 � Paced by strong performances from "Heroes," "The Biggest Loser," "The Office," "30 Rock" and a special Tuesday edition of "Dateline," NBC averaged a 2.1 rating, 6 share in adults 18-49 and 6.4 million viewers overall for the week of February 9-15, according to in-home viewing figures from Nielsen Media Research.

In primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49, "The Office" ranked #8 among all primetime programs this week. It is worth noting that "The Office" achieved this despite direct competition in its Thursday time period with two other top 10 programs in 18-49 � ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (#3 this week) and CBS's "CSI" (tied for #5). Other NBC shows ranked among the top 20 programs this week in adults 18-49 were Tuesday's "Dateline NBC" (#15, tied), "30 Rock" (#17 tied) and "The Biggest Loser" (#19 tied).

Among adults 18-34 this week, "The Office" ranked #5 among all programs. Also in the top 20 in this demo were NBC's "30 Rock" (#8, tied), "Heroes" (#12, tied), "The Biggest Loser" (#15, tied) and Tuesday's "Dateline" (#19, tied).

Through the first 21 weeks of the 2008-09 season, NBC is now the "second youngest" of the major broadcast networks, with a median age of 46.9 years, 2.0 years "older" than Fox (44.9 years). By comparison, ABC's median age is 49.0 and CBS's median age is 53.7. Season to date, NBC is running within 0.3 of a rating point of first place in primetime's key demographic of adults 18-49.

NBC highlights for the week of February 9-15:

* On Tuesday, "The Biggest Loser 7" gained 28 percent in 18-49 rating and 25 percent or 1.9 million persons in total viewers versus the same night last year, when it also faced competition from a one-hour "American Idol." For the five weeks since "American Idol" has returned to compete on the Tuesday primetime schedule, "The Biggest Loser" is up 19 percent in 18-49 and 27 percent in total viewers versus the same weeks last year, while the Tuesday edition of "Idol" is down 17 percent in 18-49 and 12 percent in total viewers.

* "The Biggest Loser" added a hefty 68 percent in 18-49 rating and 58 percent or 4.3 million persons in total viewers from its first half-hour to its fourth. For its final hour from 9-10 p.m., "Loser" ranked #1 in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demos, topping CBS's "The Mentalist," Fox's "Fringe" and ABC's "Scrubs."

* Also on Tuesday, a special edition of "Dateline NBC" scored the highest 18-49 rating and biggest total viewership for any edition of "Dateline" since June 2007, when Matt Lauer interviewed Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry. Tuesday's "Dateline" featured Ann Curry's interview with Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets on January 26.

* Tuesday's "Dateline" matched the highest 18-49 rating for any network in the time period since November 25 and in total viewers, delivered NBC's biggest overall viewership in the slot since Election Night, November 4.

* On Thursday, "30 Rock" attracted its largest overall viewership since its second telecast of the season on November 6. Versus the prior week, "30 Rock" surged 23 percent in 18-49 rating and 20 percent, or more than 1.2 million persons, in total viewers.

* Also on Thursday, "My Name is Earl," "Kath & Kim" and "The Office" all posted week-to-week increases in both adults 18-49 and total viewers. "Kath & Kim" delivered its largest viewership since November 6 and "The Office" attracted its biggest crowd since October 30.

* On Sunday, a two-hour edition of "Dateline" reported a 77 percent increase in 18-49 rating and an 87 percent surge in total viewers - a gain of 4.4 million persons - from its first half-hour to its fourth.

Ratings reflect "live plus same day" data unless otherwise noted. Season-to-date figures are averages of "live plus seven day" data except for the two most recent weeks, which are "live plus same day."

Additional NBC highlights for the week of February 9-15:

On Monday, Feb. 9 from 9:02-10:02 p.m. ET, "Heroes" (3.6 rating, 8 share in 18-49, 7.9 million viewers overall) won its slot in men 18-34 and was #2 in adults 18-34, against such tough competition as ABC's "The Bachelor," CBS's Monday 9-10 p.m. comedies and Fox's "24." In head-to-head competition, "Heroes" topped rival drama "24" in adults, men and women 18-49 and adults, men and women 18-34. It is worth noting that "Heroes" ratings this season have been increasing by an average 22 percent in adults 18-49 when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" measures. In total viewers, "Heroes" has been adding an average 1.7 million viewers to its previously reported "live plus same day" numbers when "live plus seven day" viewing is counted

Monday from 10:02-11 p.m. ET, "Medium" (2.6/7 in 18-49, 7.9 million viewers overall) was up 13 percent in adults 18-49 (2.6 vs. 2.3) and 36 percent or 2.1 million persons in total viewers (7.9 million vs. 5.8 million) versus NBC's "live plus same day" season-to-date average for the time period. "Medium ranked #2 in the time slot in adults, men and women 25-54 and men 18-49

Note: NBC News' coverage of the Presidential press conference from 8-9:02 p.m. ET was sustaining programming and was not counted in the nightly or weekly averages.

On Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 8-10 p.m. ET, "The Biggest Loser 7" (3.7/9 in 18-49, 9.3 million viewers overall) gained 28 percent in 18-49 rating (3.7 vs. 2.9) and 25 percent or 1.9 million persons in total viewers (9.3 million vs. 7.4 million) versus the same night last year, when it also faced competition from a one-hour "American Idol."

For the five weeks since "American Idol" has returned to the primetime schedule, "The Biggest Loser" is up 19 percent in 18-49 (3.8 vs. 3.2, "live plus same day") and 27 percent in total viewers (9.3 million vs. 7.9 million) versus the same weeks last year, while the Tuesday edition of "Idol" is down 17 percent in 18-49 and 12 percent in total viewers.

From its first half-hour to its fourth, "Biggest Loser" bulked up 68 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 4.7/11 from a 2.8/8) and added 58 percent or 4.3 million persons in total viewers (to 11.6 million from 7.3 million).

For its second hour from 9-10 p.m., "Loser" ranked #1 in its highly competitive time period in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and other key demos, against CBS's "The Mentalist," ABC's "Scrubs" and Fox's "Fringe." "Loser" pulled ahead of "Fringe" in the 9-10 p.m. hour despite the huge lead-in advantage the Fox drama got from its "Idol" lead-in.

Tuesday from 10-11 p.m. ET, a special edition of "Dateline NBC" (4.0/10 in 18-49, 11.3 million viewers overall) won its time period in adults 18-49, adults 18-34, adults 25-54 (tie) and all key adult-female demographics.

"Dateline" matched the highest 18-49 rating for any network in this time period since November 25 (ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" finale). In total viewers, this was NBC's biggest overall viewership in the time period since Election Night, November 4. Tuesday's edition of "Dateline" featured Ann Curry's interview with Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets on January 26.

This marks the top performance for an edition of "Dateline" in both adults 18-49 and total viewers since Monday, June 18, 2007, when Matt Lauer interviewed Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry (a 4.1/12 in 18-49 and 12.2 million viewers overall).

On Wednesday, Feb. 11 from 8-9 p.m. ET, "Knight Rider" (1.3/3 in 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) was up week-to-week by 10 percent in total viewers (5.5 million vs. 5.0 million).

Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, "Law & Order" (2.0/5 in 18-49, 7.4 million viewers overall) built on its lead-in from the previous hour by 54 percent in 18-49 rating and 62 percent in total viewers to rank #2 in adults 18-49, total viewers and virtually all other key measures.

On Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET, "My Name is Earl" (2.6/8 in adults 18-49, 6.4 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-49 and #1 in men 18-34. "Earl" was up 4 percent in 18-49 versus the prior week (2.6/8 vs. 2.5/7), despite competition this week from the premiere of the latest cycle of CBS's "Survivor."

From 8:30-9 p.m., "Kath & Kim" (2.4/7 in 18-49, 5.5 million viewers overall) was up 14 percent in 18-49 rating (2.4/7 vs. 2.1/6) and 16 percent in total viewers (5.5 million vs. 4.8 million) despite the advent of "Survivor" this week in the time period. "Kath & Kim" matched its highest 18-49 rating since the second telecast of the season on October 16 and delivered its biggest overall viewership since November 6.

"Kath & Kim" retained 92 percent of its 18-49 lead-in from "Earl." In adults 18-34, "Kath & Kim" built on its lead-in by 5 percent (2.3 vs. 2.2) and in women 18-34, it built on the "Earl" lead-in by 24 percent (2.6 vs. 2.1).

Thursday from 9-9:31 p.m. ET, "The Office" (4.6/12 in 18-49, 9.0 million viewers overall) ranked #1 among the broadcast networks in its intensely competitive time period in men 18-49 and men 18-34, topping ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and CBS's "CSI" in these demos. "The Office" attracted its biggest overall viewership since October 30 and matched its highest 18-49 rating since December 11. Week-to-week, "The Office" was up 7 percent in 18-49 (4.6/12 vs. 4.3/11) and 6 percent in total viewers (9.0 million vs. 8.5 million).

Season-to-date, "The Office" is the #11-ranked primetime program in adults 18-49 (tied with NBC's "Heroes"), despite airing in head-to-head competition with the #1 show on the CBS schedule ("CSI") and one of the two top shows on the ABC schedule ("Grey's Anatomy"). Among adults 18-34, "The Office" is primetime television's #4 show, behind only "Grey's Anatomy" and the Tuesday and Wednesday editions of "American Idol."

"The Office" has been adding an average 20 percent to its 18-49 rating when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" results. In total viewers, "The Office" has been adding an average 1.5 million viewers to its previously reported "live plus same day" numbers when "live plus seven day" viewing is counted. Counting all time shifting, "The Office" is the most time-shifted program on the major networks, gaining 53 percent in 18-49 when going from "live only" to "live plus seven."

Thursday from 9:31-10:01 p.m. ET, "30 Rock" (3.8/9 in 18-49, 7.7 million viewers overall) attracted its largest overall viewership since the second telecast of the season on November 6, and matched its highest 18-49 rating since that same date. "30 Rock" surged week-to-week by 23 percent in 18-49 rating (3.8/9 vs. 3.1/7) and by 20 percent or more than 1.2 million persons in total viewers (7.7 million vs. 6.4 million). This week's "30 Rock" was up 41 percent in adults 18-49 versus its average in this post-"Office" time period last season (3.8 vs. 2.7). The February 12 "30 Rock" ranked #1 in its tough slot in men 18-34.

Thursday from 10:01-11 p.m. ET, "ER" (2.6/7 in 18-49, 7.2 million viewers overall) ranked #2 in the time period in adults 18-34, women 18-34 and women 18-49 versus competition from a "Grey's Anatomy" crossover episode of "Private Practice" in the hour.

On Friday, Feb. 13 from 8-8:29 p.m. ET, "Howie Do It" delivered a 1.2/4 in 18-49 and 4.1 million viewers overall, up 9 percent in 18-49 versus NBC's average in the time period this season prior to "Howie's" January 9 debut (1.2 vs. 1.1). From 8:29-9 p.m., an encore telecast of "Howie Do It" (1.2/4 in 18-49, 3.9 million viewers overall) retained 100 percent of its 18-49 lead-in from the first-run "Howie" episode.

Friday from 9-10 p.m. ET, "Friday Night Lights" averaged a 1.1/3 in 18-49 and 3.5 million viewers overall. It is worth noting that, so far this season "Friday Night Lights" 18-49 rating has been increasing by an average of 21 percent when going from "live plus same day" to "live plus seven day" results. The current third season of "Friday Night Lights" has previously run on DirecTV.

Friday at 10 p.m. ET, "Dateline NBC" averaged a 1.1/3 in 18-49 and 4.6 million viewers overall. From its first half-hour to its second, "Dateline" increased 20 percent in 18-49 rating (to a 1.2/4 from a 1.0/3) and 24 percent in total viewers (to 5.1 million from 4.1 million).

On Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of the "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (0.7/2 in 18-49, 4.0 million viewers overall) delivered NBC's top 18-49 rating and total-viewer result in the time period since the NFL Wild Card telecast on January 3. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" ranked #2 in the time period in total viewers.

Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1.1/4 in 18-49, 5.0 million viewers overall) built on its 18-49 lead-in by 57 percent to rank #2 in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and adults 25-54. Excluding sports telecast, "SVU" tracked down NBC's biggest overall viewership in this slot since March 29 of last year.

Saturday at 10 p.m. ET, an encore telecast of "Law & Order (1.2/4 in 18-49, 5.6 million viewers overall) ranked #2 for the hour in adults 18-49, total viewers and nearly all key categories.

On Sunday, Feb. 15, from 7-9 p.m. ET, "Dateline NBC" (1.7/5 in 18-49, 6.9 million viewers overall) improved on the network's non-sports average in this time period last season by 13 percent in 18-49 rating (1.7 vs. 1.5) and by 26 percent in total viewers (6.9 million vs. 5.5 million).

From its first half-hour to its fourth, "Dateline" reported a 77 percent increase in 18-49 rating (to a 2.3/6 from a 1.3/4) and an 87 percent surge in total viewers or a gain of 4.4 million persons (to 9.5 million from 5.1 million).

Sunday from 9-11 p.m. ET, "XIII, Part 2" averaged a 1.0/2 in 18-49 and 4.3 million viewers overall.